


Exile

by joufancyhuh



Series: Underground Queens [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Blood Of The Covenant, Canon Divergent, Family Week, Gen, NonWarden Character, Trans Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 11:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14669757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joufancyhuh/pseuds/joufancyhuh
Summary: The Queen of Orzammar visits her brother in the cells.





	Exile

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [dismalzelenka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dismalzelenka/pseuds/dismalzelenka) for betaing. 
> 
> I know this kinda jumps into the end. The series itself tends to jump around in general.
> 
> For your information: We know the Aeducan origin story. But instead of dying, Aeducan gets recruited into the Legion. So does Brosca, who is Cassidy. When the Warden comes by and meets up with the Legion, Aeducan and Brosca go with them. And instead of choosing between Bhelen and Harrowmont, the Warden does an upset and chooses the exiled Aeducan, knowing their innocence. And who can deny the Warden?
> 
> Plus my Warden is all about upsetting tradition.

Nasbera visits the prison.

It’s dingy, more than Bhelen deserves; it shocks her how bitter her rage tastes in her mouth after all this time. The sight of him boils her blood, even in his weakened state, sitting against the bars of his cell, glaring out at her approach.

She squares her shoulders and stops short of the door, letting the crown atop her head speak for her. And Bhelen’s blue eyes gleam at the sight of it, the greed brewing in his lustful gaze toward the ornament. Everything he ever wanted now lying with her.

“Come to gloat at last, Relm?”

Nasbera's mouth twists down, eyes narrowing at the slight of using her birth name. “And here I hoped we could be civil towards one another.”

“Civility.” He gives off a short, boisterous laugh. “What’s civil about a man who likes to wear dresses?”

Nasbera huffs, hands clenched by her side. Cassidy would wish her to show leniency, forgiveness, but her lover isn’t there. “I thought you supported my transition. I guess only when it suited you, yes? Something to use against me when losing Father’s favor?”

“You’re a joke,” he sneers, turning his head away, staring off into the grey walls of his cell. “That crown should’ve been _mine_. I worked hard to get here, and you prance in at the last minute to steal it.”

“You’re a murderer,” she hisses. The words cause no reaction from him, not guilt nor surprise. She assumed her brother not to be without a conscience, but his lack of concern leads her to assume he made his peace with his vile deeds. “Our brother, our father. If you wanted to rule, then you should’ve come about it honestly.”

“I was _this_ close.” He holds his hand up, thumb and forefinger only a breath apart. “And you ruined it. Why couldn’t you die in the Deep Roads like you were supposed to? Why did you have to come back?”

Nasbera sighs, leaning her back against the wall, hands clasped in front of her. “I almost didn’t. I loved fighting with the Legion. It gave me purpose, strength. They treated me well.” And Cassidy… but what would her brother understand about love? The selfish bastard only looked out for himself, and now he sat in a cell for it.

“Then why did you come back?”

 _Revenge_ , she wants to respond. _To wipe that smug expression her brother toted around, to watch his dreams crumble under her heels._ But no, she made her peace with that when she joined the Legion of the Dead, when she felt as though she belonged with them her entire life. They treated her well, made her feel welcome. A real family where she didn’t need to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.

And then Cassidy happened.

_Make things better for the casteless. Promise me that, my Queen._

_For you, I would promise anything._

“Because I believe in your vision, Bhelen. I want nothing more than to improve Orzammar, to bring it into a new, prosperous age. But I can’t abide by your methods. No more bloodshed.”

Bhelen grunts, shifts his back against the bars. “What are you going to do with me?”

Nasbera thought about her answer to this question before her venture down into the prison. She promised no more blood, and she meant it, but this left her in a delicate position. Her brother had committed treason twice and proved himself a powerful foe. What did this say about the beginning of her reign if she let him live?

Would it be better for him to be made an example?

“You’re banished to the surface for the rest of your days. What you do with your time there is your problem.”

Bhelen remained facing the wall, though the hand by his side clenched. “Letting me live is a sign of weakness.”

“To forever know how close you came to your lifelong dream only to be cast away from the only home you’ve ever know? No, my brother. This is justice. My form of justice.” She forces a smile and bows before him, careful to keep the crown atop her head. “This is goodbye.”

“I’ll come back, stronger than before.” It’s a desperate plea, a bargain for her to end his miserable life. She pities his sorry state, how far the man she knew as her younger brother fell. When did he turn into the person before her? Was this always him?

“I welcome the challenge,” she says as she departs.

He is disgraced now, after all. Exiled, with nothing but his own burdens to bear. She wonders if it is enough.

If it will ever be enough.


End file.
